


all i wanna get is (a little bit closer)

by Talinor



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Getting Together, M/M, Mutual Pining, Shooting Competition, these two dumbdumbs actually talk about their feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-26
Updated: 2016-10-26
Packaged: 2018-08-27 03:20:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8385232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Talinor/pseuds/Talinor
Summary: "'Decent'?" Keith asked with a hint of incredulity. He caught the rifle in his hands and held it in a proper shooting position. "You've seen me shoot before, Lance." Only about once, in a really hairy battle, but it still counted.
"Yeah," he said. "But I've also seen you dance." He shot a smug grin at Keith. "No comment."
"Oh, you're going  down  for that, cargo pilot."





	

**Author's Note:**

> this is super gay the title's from closer by tegan and sara  
> i'm so tired just take this  
> (like an idiot, I forgot to mention this is inspired by shakarian bc mass effect is my shit and i'll write parallels from it in voltron forever probably)
> 
> enjoy!

For once, it was serene. Gold, pink, and blue blended together in the open horizon as the night slowly but surely blanketed the sun. Keith leaned back against the smooth coppery reddish rock he sat on, a small ridge serving pretty decently as a backrest. It was the same color as the sand on the beach, coarse and rough compared to the velvety texture of the sand beneath his feet. His shoes lay beside him, abandoned so he could dip his feet in the water without worrying about ruining them.

He looked out at the expanse in front of him. His absentminded kicks in the seawater sent ripples out among the still blue seawater, the only disturbance on the smooth glassy surface. He'd expected the water to be cool when he first dipped his feet in. Only to be surprised by the almost stinging heat when he actually did so. He'd pulled back with a wince, but he didn't want to leave yet, so he tried again. Despite the slightly uncomfortable heat, he stubbornly kept his feet in the water.

For once in a very long while, he was truly alone with his thoughts. It reminded him of the times he'd spent sitting on his shack's porch with a can of lukewarm soda, enjoying the view of the setting sun as it slunk behind the rocks. No fighting, no awkward stuffiness of conversation with aliens he barely knew, no enclosed walls of a spaceship with 6 other people.

Don't get him wrong. It's not that he didn't enjoy being a Paladin, or being around the others. He did. He just... wasn't used to it, to constantly sharing a space with other people. It had been a while since he shared living space with anyone, let alone multiple people. Sometimes it was just nice to be alone.

Over time, as he focused on the white and blue puffed-up birdlike creatures shrieking overhead instead of the water's temperature, it grew to be more comfortable. A warmth that seemed to spread throughout his skin. It added to the calming atmosphere, the rare tranquility he was lucky enough to enjoy. 

But, he reminded himself as he heard one of the lions approaching, tranquility never lasted for very long. The moment was fleeting, but had been nice while it lasted. Now it was time to get his head out of the metaphorical clouds and go back to reality. Back to the craziness of his life as the Red Paladin of Voltron.

It was actually a little bit surprising to see Blue headed towards him. He half-expected Shiro to be the one who found him, chastise him on 'straying from the group' on an abandoned planet. For not really telling anyone about it (even though he could still see the Castle poking out of the dense forest he'd gotten lost in). For not even trying to contact anyone for a while. Even though they'd still be here to repair the particle barrier for at least another day, and they weren't even doing anything anyways.

But instead, it was Lance. His... something. 'Rival' didn't really fit; it never had in his opinion. Keith never thought of Lance as a rival. It seemed too negative to describe their relationship, no matter how annoying the Blue Paladin could occasionally be. Or how much Lance insisted that's what they were. 

He didn't believe it for a second.

'Teammate' was better, a lot more positive. But it still didn't feel right. It didn't fit quite right. They were technically teammates, Paladins of Voltron, but that wasn't where their relationship ended. The two had grown closer than that.

Keith's never really been on a team before. He preferred only depending on one person- himself. But despite that, he knew that teammates probably weren't supposed to huddle together for warmth in the cold of one of the Castle's hallways in the middle of the night. Teammates weren't supposed to wind up there every night since the first time, wasting hours they could've spent sleeping or training. Teammates certainly didn't lean closer together some nights, a gentle touch in the dead of night that held more intimacy and promise than Keith was used to.

Teammates didn't do that. Friends didn't do that. So what were they, then? An exception? Or something new, something unexplainable and unexplored? They never talked it over. Or talked about it at all, now that he really thought about it.

He could sort it out with Lance later. Blue was landing a few feet away from him, metal claws sinking slightly in the sand. She bent down towards him, her robotic maw opening to show her pilot leaning with one shoulder on the wall. Looking directly at him with the smirk and the glint in his eyes that blatantly spelled out mischief. Mischief that he apparently wanted Keith to take part in.

"There you are," Lance said. "Whatcha doin', Kogane?"

Keith shrugged, sneaking a final look at the small sliver of sun left on the horizon. Dark blue, nearly an inky black, overtook most of the sky. Stars peeked out at them like curious twinkling children. "Nothing," he grabbed his boots, moving his feet out of the water. "But I'm guessing it's not gonna stay that way, right?"

Lance grinned. "You know me so well," he said, gesturing from Keith to him with one hand. "Come on inside. I gotta show you something." He seemed excited about it.

For a moment, he'd considered turning him down. Going back to his serenity before he'd have to eventually hike back to the Castle. But it would be a lot quicker to just ride back with Lance in Blue anyways. Not to mention that he was more than a little curious.

He quickly slipped his boots on before getting up from his seat. A few steps later, Lance was leading him up the catwalk into Blue. He still remembers the silent feeling of awe when he first walked the halls thrumming with energy, the awe that only increased when he saw the lion's controls in the cockpit he was now standing in once more. It had been a weird feeling, seeing something both very familiar and yet so extremely alien at the same time. Now, however? It just felt familiar. Kind of like greeting an old friend again after not seeing them for a long time.

"Alright girl," Lance spoke with an affectionate tone, leaning back against the comfortable pilot chair. "You know where to go."

Keith could feel the slight thrumming purr through his being. It wasn't nearly as strong as when he was talking to Red, but if he needed a reminder of Blue's ancient sentience, that was it. He rested his arms against the pilot chair as she took off into the air once again. The sun finally disappeared from the sky, the light blue moon taking its place. 

"So," he finally spoke up as they turned to head back to the Castle. "What are we doing, anyway?"

Lance looked up at him. "Keith," he started. His tone was soft, thoughtful, and hearing his own name said that way gave him a strange feeling in his stomach he'd sort out later. "Have you ever had something you wanted to do before you died? Like, a bucket list or something like that?"

The question caught him off guard. He expected something light-hearted and fun, like rigging the food goo machine or something dumb like that. That was the Lance people knew. But the Lance very few people knew was on display for him right now, with the same wistful expression Keith saw him wear whenever he looked out into the vast emptiness of space. It felt private, invisible ink on the pages of Lance's life story. And he was letting Keith see it.

He didn't really know how to feel about that.

"I- Yeah," he finally responded. "Doesn't everyone?"

Lance nodded, lips pursed in thought. He stared out at the night sky, more and more stars somehow spontaneously appearing every passing minute.

"Why do you ask?" It felt... strange, honestly, being around Lance but having to be the one to fill the silence. Lance was much better than him at it.

Lance stayed silent for a moment. Then his eyes went back into focus, pointing themselves to look back at Keith. "You know those platforms outside the Castle? The ones that connect the outer decks?" He asked, and only continued when the other nodded. "You know, every time I see them, I think- 'I want to go up there.'" He shrugged. "Of course, I haven't actually done that. Mainly 'cause Allura would probably kill me if I did."

At that moment, Blue hovered by their destination- one of the platforms he'd been talking about. He could see a closed crate in Blue's peripheral, and he was pretty sure Lance's bayard was on top of it.

"So what changed, then?" Keith asked. "Did you ask her for permission or something?" The teasing comment made Lance smile- just what he'd been going for.

Lance got up from the pilot's chair, turning to look at him. "Nope," he said with a shrug. "Now I just don't give a damn. Nobody lives forever, right?" He headed out the cockpit, Blue opening her jaw for the two to step out.

Keith wasn't too far behind him, and he could swear the... supportive-feeling thrum around him translated roughly in his mind to _You've got this, tiger._ Whatever that could possibly mean.

The catwalk slid forward onto the platform with a mechanical whirr. It clicked in place when it hit the smooth white metal. The two of them followed suit, and Keith saw that Lance's bayard was definitely lying on top the silver crate. He could only wonder why for a brief moment.

Before he could even ask, Lance answered. "Now that we're here," he headed towards the crate. Blue's catwalk retracted, the lion closing her mouth. She flew down to the ground to give the two privacy. "I got a little challenge for you." He held his bayard in one hand, and a glass container with a strange bubbly pink liquid inside. "Now, I'll admit you're decent enough with a gun," he pressed a button on his bayard. With a flash of light, it formed into a different kind of gun- a sleek blue sniper rifle. "It's just that some of us know how to make one dance." He threw the rifle to Keith.

"'Decent'?" Keith asked with a hint of incredulity. He caught the rifle in his hands and held it in a proper shooting position. "You've seen me shoot before, Lance." Only about once, in a really hairy battle, but it still counted.

"Yeah," he said. "But I've also seen you dance." He shot a smug grin at Keith. "No comment."

"Oh, you're going _down_ for that, cargo pilot." He muttered barely loud enough for Lance to hear. He readied the rifle, finger ready on the trigger. "First one to miss loses?"

"Sounds fair," Lance agreed. "You ready?"

"Yup," he glanced over to see the Blue Paladin getting ready to throw the flask. "Go ahead."

The bright pink of the glassy container made it pretty easy to see against the dark night sky. It flew in a wide arc from the moment it left Lance's fingers. But Keith stayed patient. He waited until it was in the right place, finger readily pressing against the cool metal of the trigger. After a tense moment, he pulled it and fired. The sound cracked through the peaceful evening air like far-off thunder.

The glass shattered, then melted down to blend with the pink liquid as it fell to the ground below. 

"Not too bad," Lance said with a hum. "You're already doing better than I thought you would, dropout." He opened the crate, picking out another flask. He held it out for Keith with one hand, the other empty and awaiting his bayard. "Now let a master show you how it's done."

Keith took the flask, the strange glass smooth and cool against his bared fingers. It even seeped in through the leather of his gloves. "Sure thing," he said, positioning the rifle to point up at the sky, leaning against his shoulder and brushing his jacket's high collar. He looked around at his surroundings for a moment, then back to Lance with furrowed brows. "Where's a master? I can't see them."

"Ha ha," Lance said sarcastically. "Very funny. Gimme the bayard already, you jerk."

Keith, having had his fun teasing, did as he was asked. Lance muttered something under his breath (he's pretty sure he heard something about a mullet) and positioned the rifle with practiced ease. He glanced over to Keith momentarily. "Ready."

He only put a little bit of effort into throwing the flask, but it still flew through the air pretty far. Lance watched it with intense focus for about two seconds before he quickly tilted the rifle up and took the shot.

Once again, the glass shattered and melted.

"And that, my friend," Lance said, gesturing to the spot where it was. "Is how you do it." He handed the bayard over to Keith again, giving him a small smirk. "Now let's see if that first shot was just a fluke or not."

"Don't count on it," Keith pushed down the strange feeling that rose up at 'my friend'. Instead, he readied himself as Lance got yet another flask out of the crate. But this time, he started to notice something about the Blue Paladin's behavior.

Lance's eyes flickering to, then away from him. The way his long fingers nervously fiddled with the crate's lid as he shut it. He smiled at Keith when he saw him staring, a genuine beam that shone brighter than the moonlight illuminating the two. He's pretty sure his heart literally skipped a beat at the sight.

Oh. Okay. This was fine. He could totally handle this, completely alone with Lance very high up in the air. With the moon and the stars shining brightly above them as their only witnesses. So basically, Keith was just discovering his definitely-not-platonic feelings while stuck in a pretty romantic setting with the subject of said not-platonic feelings who would probably just-

Wait a minute.

Was that what Lance intended? He usually initiated those late-night kisses, but afterwards he'd smile sheepishly and practically bolt back to the safety of his room. Was he going to try talking about it? Blue had seemed to think so. Unless she was talking (or thinking, technically) about him beating Keith at this little competition.

Only one way to find out.

Keith's eyes moved away from Lance. "Ready," he said. A mere moment later, the flask was airborne. It was an easy enough shot. If he wanted to, it would be easy to adjust and make it.

But he didn't want to.

This competition was just a dumb cover, and now that he knew that, Keith didn't want to play along. He was so tired of skirting around it. Pretending it never happened never made it go away. If finally getting a chance to figure out what the two of them were meant he had to give Lance the satisfaction of a win, then that was a sacrifice he was willing to make.

The shot rang out, reverberating around the serenity. And the flask kept falling until he heard it shatter against the ground far below.

"Oh," he heard Lance whisper out in disbelief. "My," he was quickly regretting his decision. "God!" Lance pumped his fist up in the air. Keith rolled his eyes, looking away from the victory dance he was probably doing right now. "This is now my favorite spot on the Castle!" 

He waited a moment after the triumphant whooping was done, biting the inside of his cheek to keep the smile from showing. He needed to be serious right now. Lance's surprisingly cute laugh be damned.

"Aw c'mon," Lance said chidingly. Keith let him gingerly take the bayard from his hands, the rifle deactivating with a flash of light. "Don't tell me you're being a sore-"

"Why did you really bring me up here?" He blurted out, turning to look right at Lance. "And don't tell me it was just for this, either." At first, his words were strong and steady. He needed to know. But the more he thought about it, the more he started to doubt himself. What if he was overthinking this? What if Lance really did just bring him up here for a dumb little contest? God, he'd feel like such an idiot. He shouldn't have even brought it up.

If he didn't see the expression on Lance's face, he probably would have lost all his courage. But he did allow himself to sneak a peek to see how bad the damage was.

And he saw Lance shifting from foot to foot nervously, like a criminal caught red-handed. Or a child who got caught opening up the cookie jar, eyes almost shyly looking anywhere but at his fellow Paladin. Lance was never shy.

Had Keith been... actually right about this?

Lance finally deflated with a sigh, hooking his bayard to his belt. Uncertain blue eyes finally turned toward him. "Okay, yeah," he confessed. "I've been thinking a lot, y'know... about what," he gestured to the both of them. "This is." He sat down on the crate, the next words so rushed he almost didn't catch them. Almost. _"AndI'vebeenkindasortamaybethinkingaboutyoutoo-"_

"Are..." His throat felt dry all of a sudden. His chest felt crushingly tight. "Are you serious?"

"Well yeah," Lance said with a nervous breathy laugh. "Like, have you seen yourself? Solid 9.8- though there's always room for improvement. Me? I'm more of a-"

"Lance," Keith interrupted, taking a small step towards him. "Quit stalling. Get to the point."

Lance cleared his throat. "Okay," he said, his hands nervously jittering as he spoke. "You're..." He tried to start, then sighed. "Okay, I'll be completely honest- maybe, just maybe, you're not the worst thing ever. Not even close, really, now that I'm thinking about it."

High praise, coming from him.

"And," he continued as Keith listened intently. "I know I talk a big game a lot. I get it. I also know I usually can't deliver, and I don't..." He threw his hands up in frustration. "Never mind, it's- this is just... stupid." He looked down at the ground, hands in his hair.

Keith moved over to where Lance was, bending down to be eye-level with him. "Lance," he said softly. "Give yourself more credit than that."

"I just," Lance spoke up again after a long moment. He sighed. "I don't want to screw whatever we have up, okay? With all this crazy chaotic shit always going on, I want something to go right," he looked up to meet Keith's eyes, showing the lesser-known Lance once more. "Just once."

"Listen to me," Keith said, bringing one hand to cup Lance's cheek. "You're not going to screw this up. I..." How could he say this? He grasped for the right words to express his feelings. Then his mind helpfully supplied him with something else. A better idea.

Keith always was one to let his actions do the talking, after all. So he hoped closing the small distance between them could say what he couldn't.

Judging by how Lance quickly melted into the kiss, placing a hand on Keith's lower back, it did. The two only eventually separated to catch their breaths. The two of them looked at each other through it, wrapped up in a trancelike state where they only saw each other. 

After what felt like a private eternity, the spell was finally broken by the whirring sound of Blue's catwalk extending onto the platform. Keith hadn't even heard her fly up to them. Though it was pretty easy to remember why, looking back at the Paladin sitting in front of him.

"Guess that's our cue," Lance said.

"Guess so," he agreed, standing up fully again. "...You do realize Allura probably heard the shots out here, right?"

Lance shrugged. "I'm not worried," he stood up, throwing an arm around Keith. "I think I've already died and gone to heaven anyways." He shot his boyfriend a grin.

Keith let out a breathy laugh. "You're a sappy romantic," he noted. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Say what you want," he said. "But technically I'm _your_ sappy romantic now, so you got no one to blame but yourself." They headed over to Blue together.

The purring he heard meant she definitely knew about this. And supported it, apparently. 

After all, no one lives forever. He was going to enjoy this as much as he could for as long as he could.

**Author's Note:**

> come yell at me on tumblr: squishy--squish


End file.
